True Beauty
by Fairytailanimefan
Summary: A beast lived in an abandoned castle not far from Magnolia, a curse giving him a terrifying appearance and making all his servants just part of the decor. He planned to wallow in anger for himself... that is, until a headstrong, spirited girl named Lucy entered the picture. Now, he's not sure if his black heart can resist her golden spirit. Lalu. Nali and Gale if you squint.
1. Chapter 1

Lucy sighed as she adjusted her skirt in the mirror. She basked in the silence that permeated through the morning light, knowing soon the hustle and bustle of the town would begin with just the crow of a rooster. Lucy picked up the basket that held a delicately bound book with a ratty old cover and dog-eared pages. She had thumbed through it at least five times this week, nearly memorizing the story. It was an epic of magic, romance, and history that never failed to make her heart beat faster. But alas, she would return it to the pitiful library and hopefully find new pages to peruse. Lucy decided to leave for the morning, and she opened the door to her small home and stepped out into the dewy morning, running her palm along the railing of her tiny porch. As she hopped down the steps the cock crowed, sending the villager's doors flying open almost simultaneously.

"Bonjour Lucy!" the baker called to her, displaying his tray of goods to her. "Would you like anything this morning?"

"Bonjour sir. I'll just take these, please." the blonde dropped a few ecu into his hand and chose a beignet and a loaf of bread from his tray. She placed them into her basket and waved a farewell, slipping her way through the townspeople towards the "library." Lucy did not notice the people around her whispering and staring. This was a common occurrence, for it was not proper for a lady to educate herself. It was not normal for the men of the town, even. But Lucy did not care. All that mattered to her was exploring the world and learning new things. So when she slipped into the library, those who had been whispering about her openly spoke.

"I can't believe that girl, she's going to end up a hag. Reading is an ugly people's pastime." a dark haired woman scoffed. Her two companions nodded in agreement.

"Unlike you, miss!" one crowed, twirling a curly brunette lock around her finger. "You have men seeking you out all over town!"

"But not the one that really matters." the first woman sighed dreamily, gazing upon a man entering the town on horseback. Hanging from the saddlebags were a multitude of rabbit carcasses that would soon be sold to the butcher. Gajeel had returned from his morning hunt, his close friend Juvia not far behind.

"Go bring these to the butcher for me. I'm going to look for Lucy." Gajeel, a notorious and cruel womanizer instructed his aide.

"Yes, Gajeel." Juvia scampered off with the rabbits. There was a collective sigh as Gajeel shrugged off his coat and pushed his midnight black hair back. He prodded his horse towards the stables and adjusted his ponytail. All of the townspeople loved him, all the women wanted him (as well as a few men) and others wanted to be him. The women in the town would have clawed Juvia's eyes out if it weren't common knowledge that she was his cousin. All except one. But we can get back to her in a moment. Gajeel strutted his way towards the flower booth, the entire town watching as he purchased and extravagant bouquet. He sent a smirk out at the crowds of women ogling him, giving each and every one of them false hope he was giving it to them. But, Gajeel had set his eyes on Lucy earlier in the month, and was planning to ask for her hand in marriage. Who could blame him? She was a curvy blonde with a sweet smile and wide, innocent chocolate colored eyes. Anyone could see her appeal. Even those who disliked her.

Lucy was just now getting finished with Levy, the local librarian. Levy held the small stockpile of books the town had, and she also was the only seamstress in town. So even though Levy was one of the few readers, she was an essential worker that no one would dare shun in fear of her refusing service.

"Well I am glad you enjoyed that book, but I'm afraid there are no new ones this week. I have high hopes for next week, though, there's news of a merchant coming through towns and selling some texts." Levy called from under a pile of skirts and aprons.

"Thank you Levy! I think I'll just take another romance." Lucy sighed, plucking a book from the only shelf that held books.

"Is that a sign?" Levy grinned from around her seamstress work.

"A sign that I do _not_ want to marry Gajeel! He is not my type. I'd prefer a… a princely type. One who can understand me and loves me for me." Lucy smiled, hugging her book to her chest.

"I understand. My father keeps pushing me to marry Droy, but… I have eyes for someone else." Levy sighed, daydreaming about someone tall, dark and handsome.

"I'll see you later Levy, I have some work to do at home before my father leaves for the city." Lucy waved to her. The short seamstress gestured back, a needle clenched between her teeth and her eyes narrowed at a fraying string. The door shut with a bang and Lucy was reintroduced to the chatter of Magnolia. She slipped the book into her wicker basket and balanced along the short wall next to the canal. Lucy held her arms out for balance and skipped closer to her home. She was almost within reach when a large hand brandishing an even larger bouquet was thrust in front of her.

"Lucy." Gajeel smirked at her as she stopped in front of him.

"Gajeel." she kept her face straight and her body still.

"I was wondering if you would like to accompany me for dinner tonight." he pulled his hand back a bit and let her path open once again. She hurriedly scampered towards her front gate, opening it and closing it behind her.

"No offense to your ego, but I won't ever be free for a dinner with you." Lucy dryly remarked, and rolled her eyes when she heard the gate open behind her.

"I think I can get you to change your mind. Flowers?" he pushed the flowers in front of her again, but she just sidestepped them.

"They're gorgeous, really Gajeel. But I'm not sure I want the strings attached to accepting them." Lucy's hand was on the doorknob and relief from him was a moment away.

"You say that now, but one dinner with me may change your mind." Gajeel came up behind her as she opened the door. She quickly jumped inside, closing the door almost completely on him but he had stuck his foot in the door.

"Once I make up my mind, it takes a miracle from heaven to change it." Lucy kicked his boot out of the way and slammed the door in his face. Gajeel snarled at the door before composing himself.

"What is wrong with that girl." He grumbled, leaving Lucy's cottage, a few flowers escaping the expensive bouquet. He grimaced at the flamboyant thing and tossed it, a few lucky women catching it with shrieks. Juvia reappeared.

"Any luck, Gajeel?" she asked as he stomped through the mud.

"I won't even dignify that with a response." Gajeel snorted. Juvia jumped away from a particularly nasty looking mud splash.

"Maybe you should try someone else?" Juvia suggested. Gajeel just shot her a glare and they made the rest of their trek in silence.

"Papa?" Lucy called out in her home.

"Yes, yes, in here." her father sounded from the next room. She picked up her sweet treat from the morning and her book before following the sound of his voice.

"Are you almost ready for your trip?" Lucy asked her father. Jude Heartfilia ran a hand through his thinning hair. His face looked tired, but his eyes lit up as soon as he saw his beautiful daughter.

"Ah, physically yes. Mentally, no. I hate leaving you behind every year. Any requests on what you'd want from the city?" Jude wiped his hands on a rag. In front of him was a beautiful array of gilded jewelry. Each piece glinted the color of his daughter's hair. His life's work was dedicated to creating beautiful pieces that would keep Lucy living comfortably. Once a year he would travel to Paris to sell his craft, a week's worth of handcrafted jewelry that the higher ups absolutely loved. Once they were gone, he used a part of his profit to go antiquing and get older pieces he could renovate and sell the next year. After the death of his wife, his life revolved around making sure Lucy would live a long and happy life.

"Just you to come safely home. And maybe a rose." Lucy sighed.

"You ask for the same thing every year."

"But this year it's more important to me. You know I'm of marrying age, and you must pick a suitable husband for me." Lucy grimaced.

"Lucy, dear, I trust your judgement." Jude laughed.

"Yes, but I don't trust my willpower. It's taking all of my energy to avoid Gajeel." Lucy groaned. She and Jude hated Gajeel Redfox. Gajeel was not always such an awful man, but something happened that turned him downright evil a few years back. Jude had seen his sins firsthand. He always said that as long as he was living, Lucy would never marry Gajeel.

So that was how Gajeel formed the plan in his mind to get rid of Jude once and for all. That evening, Jude was well on his way to Paris when he heard a growl behind him. Unbeknownst to him, Gajeel had planted a perfect, fragrant snack in one of his saddlebags. Not for Jude. For the wolves. They were attracted by the smell of the freshly skinned rabbit, and once they appeared, Jude was unaware as to why. He had never encountered wolves on this trail before. Jude nudged his horse to go a bit faster, but it was too late. Jude was surrounded by the glowing eyes of the wolves, each of them growling and snapping hungrily at the air.

"Come on boy, get us out of here." Jude murmured to his steed, nudging it into a gallop. A wolf cried behind him and suddenly there was a high speed chase. The trees blurred around them and the wolves closed in. Jude was frightened for his life. He was ready to accept his fate when he saw an escape. The path ahead was split, one side showing the distant spire of a tower. He took a chance and steered his mount towards the tower. "Please be helpful." he whispered, the wolves continuing to howl and snap behind him.

He finally made it to the base of the tower, which had ended up being a huge castle. Jude dismounted and walked up to the door.

"Hello?" he called out. There was no answer. Jude stumbled up the stairs and knocked. The air outside this castle was frigid; Jude would have to find some sort of shelter for the evening. He knocked again, but this time the door creaked open. He called out again, yet there still was no answer. He hesitantly stepped into the doorway, the door creaking shut behind him. There was a fire roaring in the mantle, and he hurriedly went over to it.. "Thank you for your hospitality, whomever you are!" he called out as he warmed his hands by the fireplace. He sat on the rug, stilling as he heard a noise from the other room. It was a very tinny, ceramic sort of noise. It sounded again, and Jude decided to investigate. His eyes widened as he happened upon the dining room of the caste. At least a hundred chairs lined the table, but there only one place set. His stomach let out a loud, unpleasant gurgle. "A bite of bread wouldn't hurt…" he said to himself. Jude quickly took a seat and tore off a hunk from the large, warm baguette on the table.

"What… do you think… you are doing!" a roar startled him. Jude turned, and the face of a monster was the last thing he saw before he passed out from fear.

Meanwhile, Lucy was encountering trouble in the town. After Wendy, a young girl, came up to her and asked for reading lessons, a mob had formed and shunned Lucy from the town square. Gajeel had, unfortunately come to the rescue. Lucy had just gotten rid of the menace when her father's horse came galloping into their yard, eyes wild and nostrils flaring.

"Whoa boy! Whoa there… what's going on?" Lucy asked frantically, as if the horse could answer. He just tossed his head wildly and whinnied. Lucy then made a quick decision. It may not have been the smartest, but she had to find her father. "Take me to him!" she cried, and the horse broke into a gallop. Sweat prickled on the back of her neck, as she was feeling nervous. Dread pooled in her stomach as she caught sight of wolf tracks. She noticed that they were headed in the same direction she was going.

She was so focused on the ground it came as a surprise when their gallop halted in front of an impressive castle. "What in the world…" she gawked. The castle door loomed above her, by far the largest building she had ever seen in her eighteen years. The gears in her mind almost ground to a halt as she thought of how many rooms there were to explore, all the people… She shook off the distraction. Lucy knocked harshly on the door. The horse toed nervously at the ground behind her, and she knew that her father had to be here. When there was no answer, she pounded against the door again, but this time it swung open in the darkness. She stepped inside, her boot making a slight slap against the marble flooring. She had to stop herself from gaping at the interior. Sure, it was gloomy and dim, but… it was _gorgeous_. As a person who had lived in the same small town her whole life, this place was like heaven to her. She quickly made her way down the hallway.

"Hello?" Lucy called out. There was no answer, but she heard whispering to her right. "I can hear you, you know." the whispers stopped. Lucy made her way over to a light source. A candelabra was glowing in the entryway, and she felt as if she should pick it up. She heard a scurrying noise near a stairwell, and she turned towards it. When she looked back for the candelabra, it was gone. "Is anybody here?" she called out again. She saw a light moving near the stairwell, and she hurried towards it. "I could have sworn…" she trailed off as she made her way up a narrow stairwell. She paused as she saw what seemed to be an identical candelabra near the top of the stairs. But she soon forgot that as she saw a familiar face being lit by it. "Papa!" Lucy gasped.

"Lucy! You can't be here!" Jude whispered to her. Lucy rushed forwards, clenching her hands angrily around the bars keeping her from her father.

"Who did this to you? What happened?" her voice shook with both anger and fear. One of her only adventures outside the town was ruined by this event.

"Lucy, you have to leave. The monster, he will get you!" Jude was frightened out of his mind at the thought of his beloved daughter being harmed by this… beast that had captured him.

"What do you mean? I am going to get you out of here." she said, searching for the release of the cage.

"There's no time to explain, you have to leave. Now!" Jude cried.

"I won't leave you here!" Lucy exclaimed before a rough hand grabbed her wrist, tossing her from her father.

"What are you doing here?" a low growl resonated through the stone corridor. Lucy stood on shaking feet.

"Who's there? Who are you?" Lucy's eyes searched the small space for whoever had spoken. Her eyes landed upon a shadowy figure that was impossible to make out in the dim light.

"No, please, just let her be!" Jude pleaded. Lucy, however, stood her ground. Her knees may have been knocking at the hulking figure, but to her it was just a large man threatening her. And she had had enough of men telling her what to do.

"I am the master of this castle." the mysterious figure hissed at her, a growl following his words. He sounded animalistic.

"I have come for my father. Please, let him out." her voice came out shaky, but a strong, defiant undertone carried with her words.

"You mean the thief?" the figure grunted out.

"He is no thief. My father is a good man." Lucy had to physically keep herself from stomping her foot like a petulant child.

"He broke into my castle and stole food from my table. That is the definition of a thief. Those who steal from me will stay here for eternity!" the man roared, making Lucy wince. His loud tone in such a small space was almost unbearable.

"Eternity?! For a bit of food and shelter?! You're insane!" she yelled back at him.

"Lucy, just leave! Please, beast, let her go!"

"I am not leaving you to die here, Papa!" Lucy cried back to him.

"There's nothing you can do. He's my prisoner." the man skulked back in the door frame.

"Please, I'll do anything! There must be some way I can… wait!" she called out to him as he began to withdraw. She knew what she had to do to save her father. "Take me instead."

"You!" the man roared. "You would... Take his place?"

"Lucy, no! You don't know what you're doing!" Jude pleaded.

"If I did, would you let him go?" Lucy sounded hopeful at this.

"Yes. But… you must promise to stay here forever." the mysterious figure had stepped closer to the light. Lucy could now see his outline clearer than before. But the sight… confused her.

"Come into the light." Lucy commanded as she saw the light from the candelabra waver over his figure. She watched a clawed, scaled foot descend onto the floor. She held back her gasp. The figure moved even closer, revealing more scaled skin and talons. A long, spiked tail curled at his ankles. And as his face was revealed, she could not hide her shock. A loud breath escaped her lips as she saw him. His face was covered in scales like a dragon, with long, ivory horns protruding from his head. A fur trimmed coat was laid over his shoulders and brushed the floor at his feet, just barely hiding his leathery wings. His scales were almost gold, and would have been beautiful if not for their terrifying nature. His eyes were an intense steel blue that made her breath catch in her throat. His expression was stony, as if he expected her reaction. "Y-you… have my word." Lucy gasped out before burying her face in her hands.

"Done!" he roared, rushing over and freeing Jude from the cell, throwing Lucy inside.

"Wait, no! You can't do this to her, she's so young!" Jude protested as the beast dragged him down the stairs. Lucy backed against the wall and slid down it, a sob escaping her. What had she done? The beast didn't return. She was locked in this cold, dark cellar and she was alone. For eternity.

"Hello, miss! What is your name?" Lucy heard from outside her cell. She stopped her crying and looked out the grate to see only the candelabra.

"Who's there?" she felt even warier this time when she asked. When the candelabra moved, she thought her eyes were playing tricks on her.

"I'm Natsu!" the candlestick hopped towards her. She fell backwards with a shriek.

"You… you can talk?!" she cried out.

"Of course I can. We all can! Gray, come on out here!" the candelabra, that had _a face_ , gestured at a clock. The clock the walked over to them.

"I'm going crazy." Lucy let out a fearful laugh. "How long have I been here to go this mad?!" she cried out.

"You've been here ten minutes." The clock named Gray replied. Did every inanimate object have a face?

"Alright then. I asked for a name, mademoiselle?" Natsu, the candelabra repeated.

"It's Lucy."

"Luigi? That's a weird name." the candlestick laughed.

"It's _Lucy_ , wax-for-brains." the clock retorted.

"Hey! At least I'm not always taking off my hands!" Natsu shot back.

"Just let her out, flame-head!" Gray shouted.

"Oh, yeah! Come on Luigi, let's go to your new room!" Natsu pulled the lever that released the locking mechanism and Lucy hesitantly stepped out.

"New room?" she was a bit confused.

"Well, you are here for eternity. We think you deserve your own room." Gray shrugged.

"Alright…" Lucy followed them up a different flight of stairs, this one grand and beautiful. They pulled her into an empty, musty room, and Natsu went to work lighting up all of the candles. "Oh, wow." Lucy breathed. The gold canopy bed was the first thing to catch her sight, with red velvet drapings and a crimson bedspread. A matching velvet chaise lounge was near the window. She passingly noticed it was snowing outside. The marble floors were dripping with white fur rugs and the ceilings had beautiful frescoes painted across them.

"It's a bit dingy, but I can get Lisanna in her to clean it up." Natsu grinned at her.

"Dingy? This is…" Lucy felt her eyes tear up at the beauty of the room.

"Uhh, Natsu? What did you do?" Gray asked.

"I don't know!" he hissed back.

"Thank you both, so much. I've never seen anything so… beautiful." she told them.

"It's just a room, I don't get why you're getting so worked up about it." Natsu hopped over to the wardrobe. "Oi, Erza! Wake up, you've got a guest!" huge eyes opened and stared at her.

"A fine specimen to dress. Shall we get started?" Erza's doors opened and a pair of scarves latched onto Lucy's forearms, reeling her closer to the wardrobe.

"Not just yet Erza!" a voice hollered before a cart burst the door open. "I've invited the master up for tea!" A teapot shouted gleefully.

"A tea party would be manly!" A chipped tea cup shouted as well.

"Lucy, this is Mirajane and Elfman." Natsu introduced. "And the lovely Lisanna!" Natsu cheered as a feather duster floated in, quickly swiping over all the surfaces in the room.

"We all think you are very brave for what you've done for your father." Mirajane smiled.

"The master will be here soon, so I would suggest getting prepared." Lisanna warned.

"Why is he - why would you invite him up here?" Lucy seemed nervous.

"Well we needed to tell him that you are now staying in this room. So what better way than to have a nice cup of tea?" Mirajane said as she poured some of the steaming brew into Elfman. "Careful miss, it's hot!" Mirajane warned before Lucy took an awkward sip.

"I'm not sure how I feel about every utensil being alive here." she laughed. Suddenly, a footstool ran in.

"He's coming! The master is angry!" the footstool shouted.

"Thanks Happy!" Natsu replied. The footstool's name was Happy? Lucy had a hard time believing that one.

"E-everyone out!" Lucy shouted, suddenly fearful. The "people" in the room stopped to look at her before she began to push them out. "Come on, out! I don't want any visitors right now." Lucy had to find a way out of this mess. She slammed the door behind them, immediately feeling bad. But Erza the wardrobe was already asleep. Lucy saw the window and skittered towards it, planning on escaping. The howling wind and blizzard didn't give her a great feeling about her escape, but that was a problem for later. A bunch of scarves had been spewed when Erza opened her doors earlier, so Lucy decided she would tie them together and rappel down the wall. Just as she was working on her first knot, there was pounding on the door.

"You will join me for dinner!" she heard the beast roar. She froze in terror before realizing he wasn't going to come in. She worked faster on knotting all of the fabrics together.

"Will you please join me for dinner." the beast said in a calmer tone with a lighter knock.

"No!" she shouted defiantly, immediately regretting it.

"What!" he roared.

"I would never eat with you in a million years! You're keeping me here against my will as prisoner, and my father is alone in the cold because of you!" she yelled back.

"If you don't eat with me, you're not eating at all!" his roar echoed through the door so loudly that her ears began to ring. She huffed and continued her knots. She was just throwing her makeshift rope out the window when the door opened again. She spun around, startled, attempting to hide her escape plan, but relaxed a bit when she was it was Mirajane and Elfman.

"Oh, we thought you might be hungry. It would be best to eat up before you go." Mirajane smiled innocently at her, as if she _wanted_ Lucy to escape. "Natsu has a meal waiting downstairs if you're up for it." Lucy hesitated near the window.

"I guess I can come down…" Lucy trailed off, thinking that they prepared food for her and that it would be rude to let it go to waste. The only person they've had in this castle for years was the beast, and he didn't seem like a fun guest to have. So Lucy followed Mirajane down the corridor, marvelling at the ease with which the cart maneuvered the stairs. Mirajane and Elfman led Lucy into the dining room, but it was difficult to see her surroundings because every candle seemed to be unlit in the entire castle.

"Just a moment dear, I'll go tell Natsu to get started." Mirajane sweetly smiled as she showed Lucy to her seat at the table. The blonde waited a moment before taking a seat, slightly scooting her seat in. A grand clock ticked in the corner of the room as she waited in silence, nearly echoing in the quiet atmosphere. Suddenly, the dark dining room burst into life as Natsu and his companions rushed into the room. They served her a delicious meal on silver platters, but it seemed each extravagant course was taken from her too soon.

Natsu and his friends had reasons behind their hospitality towards Lucy. You see, their master, the beast, was cursed ten years prior. His father was the one who had done it to him. The beast was once known as a Prince, and the palace in which he still resided was known as Fairy Tail. The King, Makarov, was his grandfather. He was one of the greatest rulers in the kingdom's history, and led the people in the surrounding townships wonderfully. Everyone loved him, but his son, Jose grew envious of his father's reign.

Next in line for the throne, Jose was a man who had seen a lot in his life. His wife was lost to the plague when his son was just eight years of age, and so Jose's unkind influence affected his son greatly. But Jose was not content with just controlling his son's life. He feigned accusations that Makarov was unfit to rule in his old age, and created fake evidence with the help of a dark wizard. The dark wizard took Makarov away, and no one had heard from him since.

Unfortunately, the Prince was just ten years old at the time, and was easily influenced by his greedy father. He became a carbon copy of the selfish King, extremely arrogant and unnecessarily cruel. So when Jose's time to pay his debts came along, and he was taken by the dark wizard as well. The Prince was just barely sixteen, and he was running the castle with help from his servants. It was no surprise when he began to host extravagant parties for the royalty of France just to pass the time. He had a lot of time and money to waste.

Years later during one of these extravagant parties, an unexpected, unimportant visitor arrived. What appeared to be an ugly homeless woman appeared at the door, seeking shelter from the snowstorm that ravaged the forest around the castle. The Prince just laughed in her face and told her that only the beautiful were allowed at his parties. She pleaded with him again, and he cruelly denied her access to the castle. The hag suddenly cursed him, and he merely laughed until he realized her curse was real. As his body morphed into one of a monster, all of his servants were transformed as well. His guests ran, terrified from the castle, but the witch Porlyusica made sure to wipe their memories of any castle existing in the forest.

Her curse was designed well. She told her newly created beast that if he could get someone to love him the way that he was now, the curse would be lifted. But, if he failed to get someone to love him before the last petal on an enchanted rose fell, the curse would become permanent and he would never return to his former self. And so the beast would spend the next ten years wallowing in self hatred, awaiting the day the hag returned so he could get some revenge on her. He didn't age, nor did the help around the house, and so he knew that the curse would last an eternity.

So now that Lucy was in the castle, Mirajane made the suggestion that if they could get Lucy to fall in love with their master, he would be free from the curse and become happy. They really did care for him, enough that it no longer mattered about their own futures. They just wanted to see the happy little boy they knew return.

Lucy was unaware of the agenda that the servers held, but after a short conversation with Mirajane it became known to her that all of the living furniture were once human beings. Mirajane explained that they had been cursed, but made no mention as to why. And so Lucy made it her personal mission to free these people from the awful beast.

"Is there any way to break the curse?" she inquired.

"When we know, we'll tell you." Gray chimed in to the conversation.

"I think it's time for you to go to bed. It's pretty late." Natsu read the time on Gray's face.

"Get out of here, wick-head." Gray insulted the candelabra.

"Who are you calling wick-head, gear-head!" Natsu shot back.

"That's enough you two!" Mirajane scolded. "It would be a good idea to get some rest… that is, if you're staying?" she slyly baited Lucy. With her jaw set strongly and her chocolate eyes blazing something fierce, Lucy nodded.

"There's no way I can leave you behind. You are all my friends, and I promise I will find a way to help." these people were extremely hospitable and friendly towards Lucy, and she would not take that for granted. She felt that they deserved freedom. "I'll go up to my room then." she gave them all a wave as a goodbye before hurrying back to her room. She glanced longingly at the rope hanging out her bedroom window before she decided to put it away - for now. Escaping wasn't entirely out of the question, but Lucy knew where her loyalties would lie for the moment. After all, she did give her word to the beast that she would serve her father's imprisonment. For _eternity_. Lucy sighed before crawling into her bed, wondering what she would be doing the next day.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, she was woken by Natsu and Gray bickering outside the door about who would be the one to wake her. So when she opened the door on them, they seemed surprised and sheepish that they had gone through such an extensive argument for nothing. The two informed her that she was allowed to explore the whole castle. She was content with that, except for when Natsu added "except for the West wing."

"What West wing?" she inquired of the candlestick.

"There is no West wing! Natsu is just an idiot!" Gray replied, not after hitting his friend with one of his metal arms. There was a wicked sounding clang from the contact, but neither of the decorations seemed to feel it.

"Hmm. Alright…" Lucy replied slowly.

"Well, we're gonna go find Lisanna! See ya later, Luce!" Natsu grinned at her before he and Gray scampered down the stairs. And so that was how Lucy found herself actively searching out the West wing.

"Okay, so if this direction is the North of the castle, then that means... This way would be the West?" she murmured to herself. She would have found the forbidden wing much quicker if she had a better sense of direction. Instead it took her hours to fully explore each corridor for the passage she seeked. But when she finally found it, she could tell that this was a place that she was not supposed to see. She walked through a dark hallway, much darker than the rest of the castle. The walls were covered with marks that seemed to be the cause of claws raking across them, and an extremely scratched mahogany door caught her eye. She slowly pushed it open and gasped at the disastrous sight ahead of her.

There were paintings with faces gouged out, broken pillars and papers scattered everywhere. It was extremely messy and had almost no clear, clean spot. She was about to leave the dusty, cobweb-ridden room when she noticed a glow from the other side of the room. She carefully picked her way across the floor, mesmerized by what seemed to be a floating red rose. It was contained by a tall glass cover, and a few dead petals rested beneath it on the table where it stood. Lucy could not help herself as she reached for the blooming flower. Her fingertips were about to make contact when she was interrupted by a huge shadow. She quickly recoiled as the beast roared at her.

"What do you think you are doing!" his voice made the glass on the table rattle. He rushed in front of her and shoved her aside, cradling the glass protectively in his hands. He released it as quickly as he grabbed it, and turned to face her with a snarl.

"You," he stalked towards Lucy as she recoiled from him in fear. His eyes were wild with anger and her heart pounded in her throat. "Do you have any idea what you could have _done!?_ " his roar caused every hair on her body to stand on end. Tears of terror filled her eyes as he gave another snarl. Her feet got caught on each other and she stumbled to the floor. His terrifying scales gleamed in the faint light from the window, and she never before realized how _frightening_ he was.

"I'm sorry!" she sobbed out, scrambling backwards. He continued to approach, his fearsome figure looming over her.

"Get out!" he roared, louder than she had ever heard before. He emphasized his words by swiping a table next to her, successfully splintering the wood in all directions. Lucy scrambled to her feet, her throat constricting as she saw the look of malice on his face. " _Get out_!" he repeated when she didn't move right away. A vase crashed into the wall next to her and she screamed, turning tail and running as fast as she could. She didn't stop at the stairs. She didn't stop at the grand entryway. She didn't even stop at the front door. She left the door open and swinging behind her, and a loud whinny caught her attention. In the stables next to the front entrance, her horse was pawing at the frozen ground.

"Oh thank goodness!" Lucy cried out, her breath coming out in pants. She rushed to her horse and mounted it, nudging it along. Lucy did not stop to think at all, she just had to leave. The beast's roar echoed in her ears, and that gave her the extra incentive to _get out_. Her trusty steed galloped past the opened front gates that never seemed to be closed, and she barely noticed the cold weather. In the back of her mind she made a note that the wintry weather made no sense this early in August, but she tamped it down and urged her horse to go faster. As she made her way deeper into the forest, she began to slow, realizing she did not know which direction led back to town. Lucy pulled back on the reins and brought herself to a halt. Her her mount whinnied nervously, and she noticed that they had stopped on top of a frozen pond. She began to lead them off of it when there was a snarl behind her.

Lucy's horse whirled towards the noise, revealing an outcropping that held a pack of wolves. No less than four pairs of yellow eyes glinted at her in the hazy afternoon light. "Can I ever catch a break?" she muttered to herself, trying to turn her horse. But the steed was too frightened, and bolted. Because of the ice, the horse's hooves slipped, spilling Lucy out of the saddle. She yelped as her tailbone met the cold hard ice. The wolves responded immediately, and Lucy raised her arms defensively in front of her,closing her eyes and accepting her fate. There was a cacophony of roars and snarls, and Lucy opened her eyes to see what had happened.

The blonde was shocked to see that the beast was fighting off the hungry wolves. He used his talons to bat them out of the air, and he had shed his jacket, revealing his broad wingspan. They were a deep golden color, and they were stretched out. After a beat, Lucy realized that his wings were protecting her from the wolves. She saw another wolf creep up from behind the beast. "Look out!" she called, and when he turned to see what she was talking about it was already too late. The wolf had sprung from the ice, teeth latching into the scales of the beast's shoulder. He roared in pain, tearing the offending animal off his person. She gasped at the bloody sight, but the beast merely kicked the wolf, causing the rest of the pack to retreat and whimper like scared puppies. Soon, it was just her, the beast, and her horse left on the ice.

The beast turned to look at her, panting. There were a few scrapes on his face and the large gash on his shoulder,though otherwise he was unharmed. Lucy wanted to thank him, but it seemed that his injuries were much worse than she anticipated, because his legs buckled beneath him. His shoulder turned the snow around him pink with blood. She stood up, hesitating between heading for her horse or going to him. Her mind made up, she ambled over to her mount on unsteady feet, grabbing the reins. Lucy began to pull the horse over to the beast, and once she was there she crouched down to his level.

"What?" he gasped out as she grabbed his uninjured arm.

"I'm going to need you to stand up." her voice was soft and kind.

"Why are you helping me?" he questioned, struggling to right himself on his clawed feet.

"You don't deserve to die out here. No matter how horrible you are." Lucy replied, and that was the end of their conversation, because as soon as she had helped him onto her horse his eyes rolled back and he promptly passed out. "Come on, boy, let's get him back to the castle." she told her horse, grabbing the reins again and pulling him in the direction she believed they had come from. Lucy followed the tracks from before, reaching the castle much more quickly than she had anticipated. The residents of the castle met her at the door.

"What happened?" Natsu cried out.

"Wolves. I need some hot water with disinfectant and some bandages." was the only reply Lucy gave. She helped the half-conscious beast into the palace, and he led her to the sitting room fireplace. Mirajane came back quickly with Lucy's requests, and watched from a distance as Lucy began to treat the beast's wounds. The pair was seated in front of the blazing fire, causing Lucy to notice how cold her hands had gotten from being out in the snow without any winter protection. She dipped a cloth into the steamy water and began to dab away the blood from his shoulder. "Okay now, hold still." she said as she leaned in with the cloth. He let out a roar of pain as the cloth made contact.

"That hurts!" he growled in her face.

"If you would hold still it wouldn't hurt as much!" Lucy bickered back.

"I wouldn't be hurt in the first place if _you_ hadn't run away!" the beast snarled in a low voice.

"If you hadn't frightened me so much I wouldn't have run away!" Lucy shouted back. She may have been afraid of him before, but not anymore. After seeing him helpless in the snow, it made her realize he wasn't an invincible brute. It gave her courage to stand up to him.

"Well if you would have stayed out of the West wing, _like you were supposed to_ , I wouldn't have frightened you!" Lucy couldn't deny that she had disobeyed one of the only rules he had given. Albeit he did not tell her this rule himself, but she still was aware of it.

"Well maybe you should just learn to control your temper!" Lucy was exasperated at this beast. He was such a big, frightening creature, but he acted like a petulant brat. "Now hold still. This is gonna sting." she barely gave him the warning before pressing the damp cloth to his shoulder again. He flinched back with another snarl of pain. "By the way…" Lucy was hesitant to say this, but she felt it was necessary. "Thank you. For saving my life." she glanced up at his face. The beast's face was contorted with pain, but he slowly relaxed it and opened his eyes. She almost gasped when he turned to look at her. Lucy had never noticed how human his eyes looked. The irises were a cold blue, startling her to the core. She quickly looked back down to the wound, continuing to clean it.

"You're welcome." he replied, his voice the softest she had ever heard. They spent the next few minutes in silence. In fact, they spent the rest of the evening in silence, each mulling over the newfound respect for each other as they gazed at the fireplace in front of them.

When the beast had first met Lucy, he thought she was stupid for taking her father's place. Now, he realized the amount of bravery it had taken for her. He knew that his help had fed her against his wishes the evening before, and he even knew that she had planned to escape via a very well made rope. And yet, she stayed and kept her word. Even when she had the chance to let him die that day, she saved him. She may have been the kindest, most loyal person he had ever met.

And Lucy, well Lucy was having trouble understanding why she couldn't leave. She didn't owe these people anything, but she desperately felt the need to help. She had created a bond during her extremely short stay, and knew that abandoning them, even the beast, would leave her with a guilt so strong that she would never recover. She realized that the beast was not a monster, he was surprisingly human with some of his actions towards the furniture. It intrigued her. But he had saved her, even though he could have just let her die and be done with her. There was an undercurrent of kindness in his facade. Lucy became lost in her thoughts, only coming back to the present when she heard a snore. The beast was reclined in a high-backed chair, head lolling to the side as he slept soundly. Mirajane, Natsu, and Gray entered, hefting a warm quilt along with them. The clock and candle set to work covering their master as Mirajane wheeled over to Lucy on her cart.

"Thank you for bringing him back." Mirajane said softly.

"He saved my life. I had to return the favor." Lucy felt a twinge of guilt for not giving Mirajane the whole truth. Lucy may have been returning the favor, but she also felt safe with the beast. Living in Magnolia felt so stifling, and this new adventure had barely even begun. Now that she had a tentative truce with the beast, she felt incurred to stay at the castle with them. Mirajane merely smiled, as if she knew there was more behind Lucy's words. The rest of the night passed without any more excitement.

Lucy was taking a mid-morning walk with her horse, as sort of an apology for the strain it was put under the day before, when she noticed the beast standing at the balcony with Natsu and Gray. She waved with a slight smile before her steed nudged her with his nose, requesting the carrot she held in her hand. As Lucy fed her horse, the beast was conversing with his two companions.

"I've never… I've never felt like this before. I feel...I want to do something to thank her. But what?" the beast thought aloud.

"Like, romantically? Uh, well, I guess you could get her flowers, maybe some chocolates, I've heard women like that sort of thing." Gray replied.

"No way gearhead! Lucy is too special for that, she needs something that will give her a spark! Something that she would really like…" Natsu tried to think of something that Lucy would like, but came up blank. The beast, however, continued to watch the blonde interact with her horse. She pulled a book seemingly out of thin air and sat on a bench, running her hands almost familiarly over the binding and cracking it open.

"Wait a minute…" all three of them gasped, nearly in sync. The beast called out to her.

"Lucy!" this may have been the first time he said her name, and the girl jumped in surprise. Startled eyes turned on him. He gestured at her and turned away to exit the balcony. He disappeared inside. Lucy sighed, she really just wanted to read, but she followed anyways. She met him in a corridor, and he gestured for her to follow him again. So she did, until they stopped at a large pair of double doors that she somehow had never seen before. The castle was much larger than she had time to explore.

"What is it?" Lucy was curious as she peered up at the top of the door, looking for some sort of clue. This part of the castle was well-lit, and so not much could hide in the shadows.

"Well, I, ah… I wanted to show you something." the beast grabbed the large gold handle with a clawed hand, pulling the door open a centimeter before slamming it shut again. "Wait! First, you should close your eyes." he sounded a bit nervous. Lucy's face turned suspicious, but there was mirth hiding in her expression. "It's a, erm, a surprise." Surprisingly, Lucy closed her eyes, not before rolling them at the beast. They had a tentative friendship since the evening before, they had even dined together for breakfast. But they were still a bit wary of each other. And so Lucy trusted him, even if it was just a little bit. To be sure she wasn't peeking, the beast waved his hand in front of her face. The blonde had no reaction. He bit his lip to suppress a goofy smile and swung the double doors open. He barely hesitated before grabbing her small hands in his large ones, and Lucy almost gasped at the feeling of his sharp claws and rough scales. But she was surprised at how gently he held her palms, and he softly tugged her forward. She tentatively stepped with him, trusting him to not let her fall.

"Can I open them yet?" she questioned as she walked.

"No, not yet." He brought her forward a few more steps and then stopped once she was a good ways inside the room. "Wait here." she heard him hurry away, the claws on his feet clicking against the floor. The beast pulled open the curtains in the room, and the once dark area was flooded with light. Lucy desperately wanted to see, but she kept her eyes closed.

"Now can I open them?" Lucy had a small smile on her face, a current of excitement running through her spine.

"Alright… now." the beast had a genuine smile on his face. He stood near the window, out of her line of vision. When Lucy opened her eyes, her jaw went slack as she gasped. She brought her hands up to cover her mouth, thinking that she had never ever seen a more beautiful sight. The room around her was enormous, with bookshelves lining every wall and then some. Each shelf was completely packed with the texts, not a bare spot in sight, save for the windows and chairs. On every table was a pile, and there were staircases and ladders that led to different levels. She spun around with wonder, eyes filling with tears, a laugh escaping her. Her eyes roved over the entire space. She felt drunk with excitement, and she spun again, her eyes landing on the beast. There was a twinkle in his eye that wasn't there before.

"I can't believe it!" she gasped, tearing her eyes away from him again to approach a shelf. "I've never seen so many books in all my life!" Lucy ran her finger along the spines that were lined up on a shelf.

"You… you like it?" the beast had a hopeful tone.

"It's wonderful." her voice softened, her gaze turning towards him again.

"Then it's yours." she smiled at this, reaching towards him, taking his hands in hers.

"Thank you… thank you so much." tears blurred her vision again, the pure happiness making her want to weep with joy. The sight was so beautiful to her, she never wanted to leave the room again. Outside the door stood Mirajane, Elfman, Natsu, Gray, and Lisanna.

"Oh my!" Mirajane beamed at the sight.

"See, I told you guys it would work!" Natsu laughed, spinning Lisanna around.

"What do you mean you told us? I think the flames really are getting to your head." Gray retorted dryly.

"Come on, it's not manly to spy on people. Let's leave them alone." Elfman piped up, and the group left the pair to do as they pleased. Lucy and the beast spent the next two days in the library, both content with the arrangement of Lucy reading while the beast kept her company. After most of the second day, Lucy decided she wanted to stretch her stiff limbs and so they took a walk around the courtyard. Erza had given her a fur coat, matching the beast's fur trimmed coat almost perfectly, except hers was a deep maroon to match the pink dress she wore.

"Why do they always run away from me?!" the beast snarled as yet another bird ate the seeds from Lucy's hand but not his.

"Here." she giggled, dropping the rest of her bird food from her petite hand into his large clawed ones. The birds still did not come to him, rather they landed a safe distance from him. "Try going to them?" she offered, and so he crouched near the ground, holding his hands together, palms up with the seeds in them. The birds all jumped back. Lucy picked up a small amount and made a trail from the birds to the beast's hands, and one of the braver ones followed it and landed in the pile the beast was holding. He grinned gleefully as it fed from him, looking at Lucy like a kid on Christmas day.

Lucy touched his hand with a small laugh, and followed the birds that flew towards the trees. The beast felt a warmth pooling in his chest, and he couldn't help but chuckle back. Lucy started at the sound of his laugh, shocked for a moment before a grin split across her face, revealing a slight dimple in her cheek. The beast was awed at the look she gave him. He couldn't deny that she was beautiful. He looked down at the ground, almost bashfully.

Lucy turned and hid her back behind a tree, letting out a shuddering breath. Her heart had been fluttering along with the bird's wings, and she was having trouble identifying the new feeling. It was alarming to her. She leaned back against it and closed her eyes for a moment, her hands reaching up to touch where her heart was beating in her chest. She peeked back out around the tree and saw that there were birds perched on the beast, some on his horns, others lining his arms. A snort escaped her and the look he gave her took her breath away. His expression was one of pure happiness, and even though he was beastly, she could not help but find him attractive.

The beast was not Prince Charming, like the ones in her books, but there was something there that she simply had not seen when she first met him. As the birds flittered off of him and went to perch elsewhere, Lucy picked up some of the snow on the ground, packing it into a ball. The beast looked saddened by the loss of his new friends, and when he turned back to Lucy she let the snowball loose. The snow exploded in his face, and he spluttered for a few moments, shock overtaking his features. Lucy was dying of laughter when he retaliated, but his snowball ended up being much bigger, knocking her off her feet. They were both laughing at this point, and she scrambled back to her feet as he made another snowball. She made one of her own and threw it at him as he raised his own above his head, the blow to his face causing him to drop the snowball on top his own head. It was his turn to fall this time, and when he got back up she was running to hide behind the tree again. He raised his arms and chased her, making "grr" noises. They ran around the tree again, Lucy's heart beating a little bit faster, either from the exertion or from the beast.

He was bounding around the tree, chasing her as she hid. She hit him with another snowball, and he scooped some up in his arms and dumped it over her head. She shivered, but they continued to laugh, their giggles slowly dying out. Lucy stared into the beast's eyes with a smile, and he grinned back.

"Truce?" he held his hand out to shake hers.

"Truce." she agreed with a nod, shaking his cold palm.

"You're freezing, let's get you inside." the beast didn't let go of her hand as he brought her back in the castle. They ended up in front of the fireplace of the sitting room where she had her first actual conversation with him. He took her coat off her and hung it by the warm fire, and she knelt down in front of the flames to warm her hands. The cold seeped from her bones, and the beast handed her a book. She smiled and thanked him before opening it, offering to let him read it as well. He sat down close to her, one of his large arms supporting him behind her back. She leaned back against him slightly, both becoming lost in the book within no time.

Everyone else in the castle was ecstatic at how close the two had become in the past few days, as they thought she would be the one to break the curse. And so, a few days later when Lucy mentions the ballroom was beautiful, he offered to hold a ball just for the two of them. He didn't expect her to say yes, but she did, and now he was in his room, panicking about getting ready.

"I'm not sure I can do this." he gulped.

"This is your chance! Go for it." Natsu grinned at him as the beast adjusted his tie in the mirror. So the beast decided he would. His feelings for Lucy had grown exponentially over the past week, and he wanted to let her know. So when he was finally ready, after a disastrous makeover given to him by his coatrack, Freed, he anxiously waited at the first landing of the stairs in the ballroom for Lucy to appear. And when she did, his breath caught in his throat, for she was a vision of pure beauty. A golden gown flowed around her, her hair half piled atop her head and the rest tumbling over her shoulders. She wore white, elbow length gloves and a smirk played upon her lips as she descended the stairs. The beast was sure if this were an actual ball, every man in the vicinity would be vying for her attention. But luckily, he had her all to himself.

"You look…" he lost his words as she expectantly waited for him to finish. "You look absolutely stunning." he ended up saying, but he knew that the words did her no justice. He could not tear his eyes from her

"You clean up pretty well." she smiled back, offering her arm. He took it and they descended to the ballroom floor, the instruments all set, ready to play. And so when they began to play, they danced fluidly, each moving perfectly with each other. There were a few stumbles, but each time was caused by Lucy. She could not help but get lost in the beast's eyes. "What's your name?" she asked suddenly.

"My name?" he was startled by the question. Nobody had called him by his name in years… everyone in the castle called him master.

"Well you must have one." she replied as he smoothly spun her.

"You're right, I do. It's just, nobody calls me by my name anymore." he frowned.

"Are you going to tell me it, or do I have to call you 'beast' for the rest of my life?" she teased. The beast hesitated for a moment, slowing their dance.

"My name… is Laxus." he replied. Lucy smiled at him.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Laxus." the sound of his name rolling off her tongue filled him with inexplicable joy, and he grabbed her around her tiny waist and lifted her above his head, spinning her. After they both had their fill of dancing, Laxus led Lucy out onto the balcony in the West wing. He had somewhat cleaned up the area, if only for the sole fact that he had been staring at the petals that were rapidly falling from the rose. He was almost out of time.

"Lucy?" he asked as they looked out at the night sky.

"Yes, Laxus?" she replied. He felt warm again as she said his name.

"Are you happy here with me?" his question made the air around them seem heavy. Lucy did not answer right away.

"Can anyone be happy if they're not free?" her words sank his heart.

"Do you want to go back to that awful town?" Laxus' voice seemed distant.

"No." Lucy seemed certain of that fact.

"Do you think you could ever become happy here?" he quietly whispered. Neither of them looked at each other.

"Yes." a smile ghosted across her lips. The beast's heart soared again. "But… I miss my father very much."

"Do you wish to see him?" the beast offered.

"Very much so." she sounded pained.

"Wait here." Laxus went over to a shelf and picked up a mirror. "Show me Jude Heartfilia." he spoke to it and showed Lucy it. Instead of her reflection, it showed her father. And he was being pushed into an enclosed carriage used specifically for the mentally ill. Gajeel was leading the crowd that was jeering at him.

"Oh no… my father! He needs help!" Lucy gasped, her heart constricting as she clutched the mirror's handle. Laxus swallowed hard. He craned his neck to look at the almost dead rose, only two petals left on the bud.

"Then… you must go to him." the words pained him.

"What did you say?" the thought of leaving the beast hurt her, but she knew that she had to help her father.

"I release you. Lucy, you are no longer my prisoner." Laxus turned away from her, unable to look her in the eye as he knew he would not want her to go.

"Are you.. Are you sure?" she sounded sad, but her heart hoping he would want her to stay instead. But her father needed help…

"I'm sure. You must go." Laxus' voice was rough with pain.

"Laxus… thank you." she placed her hand on his shoulder, the one that she had healed. She offered him the mirror.

"Please take it with you… so you may always have a way to look back and remember me." his heart hurt as he looked into her wide brown eyes.

"Remember… you mean…?" she was thinking she could come back. But he didn't want her to?

"You belong out there in the world. Not trapped here with me." His eyes pleaded with her.

"Then take this to remember me by." she pulled the golden ribbon from her hair, placing it in his hand.

"Lucy… how could I ever forget you?" he smiled softly at her. "Now go. Jude needs you."

"Thank you so much." there were tears in her eyes, and she turned and ran from the room. Gray entered the room.

"The evening went by very well, I must say master." he said.

"I let her go." Laxus said softly as he watched Lucy fly out the front doors and jump on her horse. She galloped off, soon making it past the gate and into the thick forest. His heart sank, knowing he'd never see her again.


	3. Chapter 3

"Yes, you…. Wait what?! You let her go?!" Gray squawked.

"I had to." His voice was rough.

"Yes, but why?" Gray was extremely confused.

"Because I… I love her." and as Laxus said the words he knew it was true. Gray ran from the room to tell the rest of the castle what had happened. Laxus merely stared down from the balcony.

When Lucy finally got back to the village, the crowd was still jeering at Jude.

"What is going on here? Let my father go!" Lucy shouted as she dismounted, walking up to Gajeel. Her beautiful gold dress swished around her legs, but it now had spots of mud on it from her ride over.

"Lucy, your father is nuts. He's been spouting that you had been kidnapped by a dragon!" Gajeel laughed.

"It's true! I was held prisoner in his castle…" she trailed off as Gajeel roared with laughter.

"You're both crazy! We need to lock her up as well." he spoke to the crowd this time. Juvia looked shocked at what he had said.

"Gajeel, this may not be the way to woo her…" she murmured to herself.

"Wait! I can prove it! Mirror, show me the beast." Lucy spoke to the mirror, and it showed the image of Laxus. He still stood at the balcony, looking forlorn yet fearsome down at the courtyard. She turned the image towards the crowd.

"Oh my! Is he dangerous?" a woman asked.

"Oh no, of course not! He'd never hurt anyone!" Lucy defended, knowing that Laxus was not a monster. "He may look scary and mean, but he's kind and gentle. He's my friend."

"If I didn't know any better, I'd think you had feelings for this monster." Gajeel sneered.

"He's no monster, Gajeel! You are!" Lucy burst out at the narcissistic male.

"She's just as nuts as her father! Lock her up as well!" he shouted, snatching the mirror from her hand. "This beast will come for your children! He's already hypnotized Lucy into falling in love with him."

"No!" Lucy gasped as she was shoved towards the asylum carriage.

"We aren't safe with him still alive! I won't rest until his head is mounted on my wall!" Gajeel shouted to the crowd. There was a chorus of agreement. "I say we kill the beast!"

"No!" Lucy shrieked again as she was pushed inside the carriage with her father. She gripped the bars, the mob ignoring her protests as they gathered their torches and pitchforks. "No, I won't let you do this!" she shouted out to them.

"If you're not with us, you're against us. Lock them up!" he gestured to the carriage driver, and he came over and bolted the door shut. Lucy shook the handle with a wail.

"Let us out!" she cried.

"We can't have them running off to warn the creature! Let's go rid the village of the beast!" Gajeel led the angry mob out of the town, leaving Lucy to sob inside the carriage.

"Lucy? How did you escape?" Jude placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"I didn't escape… Papa, he let me go!" Lucy wailed, shaking the door again. Suddenly, a familiar face popped up.

"Lucy! I believe you!" it was the librarian, Levy.

"Levy! You have to let me out, I need to warn the beast! Oh, this is all my fault!" she wailed again. Levy nodded before she began to pick the lock.

"Lucy, I have to tell you something about Gajeel. I found something out from a witch named Porlyusica." the lock clicked open and Lucy jumped from the carriage.

"Levy, can you tell me on the way?" Lucy did not have time to listen to what Levy was to say.

"Yes, now let's go. Quickly!" And so Levy began to explain about the curse put on the castle ten years ago. She was not sure of what caused the curse or what it entailed, but she knew that the witch had come to the small town of Magnolia that night and stumbled across a young boy named Gajeel. And she was in such a foul mood, she cursed him as well. She made him heartless, and the only way to break the spell put upon him was to find someone who could love him unconditionally. Lucy was shocked at the story, but now that she knew of Gajeel's curse she had some answers at least. Levy and Lucy both rode the same horse through the forest, praying to not get caught by the wolves.

At the castle, lights could be seen in the distance coming towards them. Mirajane gasped, as she thought it was Lucy returning.

"She's back! Someone get the master!" Mirajane was overjoyed. Gray peered out further and realized that it was not, in fact, Lucy.

"It's a mob! Somebody tell the master!" he shouted, and Natsu hurried up the stairs to find the beast. Laxus was already well aware of the fact, and had accepted his fate. He was just staring at the ribbon Lucy had left for him. When Natsu frantically told him of the mob, Laxus looked to the rose. Natsu followed his gaze.

"It's already too late for me." he said softly.

"Master! You can't just give up, you have to fight!" Natsu said with a fiery spirit only the coldest waters could douse.

"I'll think about it." Laxus sighed as another petal fell. Natsu heard a commotion in the entryway, and so he rushed back down the stairs to meet the battle. It was pure chaos. The furniture definitely had the upper hand, especially as Juvia turned on her own mob when she picked up Mirajane and sprayed boiling water over the crowd.

But Gajeel had other plans than to fight with the useless furniture. He made his way up the stairs, grinning at the thought of slaying the beast and finally getting to marry Lucy. It only took him a few minutes to find Laxus. He pulled out a crossbow and approached him from behind. The beast continued to look down at the courtyard, noticing that the rest of the mob had been chased away. He only looked back towards Gajeel when he heard him cock an arrow at him. Laxus merely stared as Gajeel shot him in his recently healed shoulder. Laxus let out a roar of pain, ripping the arrow out, but Gajeel rushed him and tackled him to the edge of the roof.

"What's the matter? Too gentle to fight back? Lucy was right about you, wasn't she?" Gajeel cackled. Laxus' head whipped towards the raven haired man when he heard Lucy's name. "Oh, don't tell me. You have _feelings_ for her? Tough luck, because she's mine now." Gajeel's steel toed boot came down to kick Laxus, and he gripped the edge of the roof as he almost fell. Gajeel picked up a piece of stone that had chipped off when Gajeel first attacked the beast. He raised it over his head, preparing to smash it over Laxus' head and knock him off the roof when there was an interruption.

"No! Gajeel, stop!" Lucy was on a separate landing, reaching out towards the beast even though there was a distance between them. Seeing Lucy gave Laxus the incentive he needed to get out. So Laxus leaped over Gajeel's head onto the roof above, effectively disappearing in the shadows. Laxus ended up getting nearer to Lucy.

"You didn't really think that she would love you when she had me, did you?" Gajeel seemed to be absolutely delirious as he searched out the beast. Laxus snarled and came down to meet his attacker again. But instead of waiting to be attacked, he gripped Gajeel around the throat with a clawed hand, holding him over the edge of the roof. Gajeel dropped his crossbow onto the cobbled pathways of the courtyard four stories below, effectively losing his weapon. "Please! Please don't kill me, I'll do anything!" Gajeel pleaded pathetically. Laxus snarled, as he knew he couldn't kill him. So he threw Gajeel back onto the landing as he gasped for breath, and Laxus unfurled his wings (that could only fly him very short distances) and he launched himself to the balcony where Lucy had been trying to get their attention during the whole battle. He successfully made it to the balcony below hers, and so he began to scale the wall, climbing up to her. He hung from the edge, just staring at her in wonder.

"You came back?" he gasped, realizing she wasn't just a mirage.

"Of course I came back. I couldn't just let them… oh this is all my fault. If only I had gotten here sooner." Lucy cried out. Laxus had just made it over the edge of her balcony when he felt a searing pain in his back. He collapsed, realizing that Gajeel had thrown a knife across the way at him, hitting him nearly directly in the heart. "No!" Lucy screamed, grabbing at Laxus, her hands fluttering all over him. His vision was already waning as he lost blood.

"Maybe it's better this way." Laxus moaned, his hand reaching up to touch her cheek. He thought that the last petal would be falling off in a few moments, anyways.

"Don't talk like that. You'll be all right. We're together now." Lucy sniffled, tears openly falling down her face and landing on Laxus. "Everything's going to be fine. You'll see."

Over where Gajeel was, Levy had already begun to reverse Gajeel's curse. She stared heartbroken at Lucy and the beast, their words carrying over through the wind and hurting her heart even more.

"At least… I got to see you… one last time." Laxus grunted. The ribbon was still in his hand, and he carefully tied it into a bow in Lucy's hair. He held his hand against her cheek for a moment more before his eyes fluttered closed and his head fell back.

"No. No! No no no, please! Please be okay!" Lucy was nearly hysterical at this point. She covered her mouth with her hands, more tears escaping her eyes. "Please, no! Laxus I love you!" she gripped the front of his shirt. His body was completely still at this point. With tears dribbling down her cheeks, she leaned forward to place a kiss on her love's scaly cheek. At this moment in time, the last petal was floating from the rose. As it touched the table beneath, a bright bolt of lightning escaped the sky. It shot directly into the beast. And then another came down. And then Laxus' entire body was glowing and crackling with electricity. Lucy had no idea what was happening, but she was frightened. She fell onto her backside, afraid of getting electrocuted. Worry settled in the pit of her stomach. The objects from the castle were confused as well, as they could see the pair from the opposite balcony. Laxus' lifeless body floated into the air, the light becoming so bright that it was unbearable to look at. Lucy had to cover her eyes. They could not see through the light, but his body was being transformed into what it once was. Talons turned to fingers, horns shrank back into blonde locks. When his body settled back on the floor, Lucy was shocked. The man was…. _Handsome_. She reached out to touch him, to see if he felt the same as before, and his eyes shot open and he grabbed her hand. His strong jaw fell open with a gasp as he breathed in the air, and he held a trembling, flesh covered hand up to the light. He was… _human_ again.

"L-Lucy." he stuttered, and her breath caught in her throat. His voice was not quite as deep and terrifying as hit had been before, but the tenor soothed her with its familiarity. His bright blue eyes cemented in her mind that this was Laxus. "I don't… the petal should have fell." his blonde brows furrowed down towards his eyes. Lucy could not help but trace a scar on his face.

"I don't… what about the others?!" she gasped.

"They must be changing back…" Laxus attempted to sit up with a struggle. Lucy hurried to help him up. She heard a few shouts of joy coming from inside, and Lucy was overcome with feeling.

"GRAY! FIGHT ME!" she heard the unmistakable sound of Natsu's voice cry out over the din of all the others. She let out a soft laugh before Laxus began to wipe the tears from her eyes.

"I thought you were a goner." she attempted to laugh, but it came out as a whimper.

"So did I." he sighed at her. She was unable to look away from his eyes, completely enraptured in their familiar depth. She clutched at his shirt again.

"What does this mean? Is the curse over?" she had far too many questions for one breath. Laxus looked down at his hands, a surprisingly beastly grin stretching across his teeth. Her heart stopped at the sight.

"I think we're gonna be just fine. Allow me to introduce myself formally." he stood on shaking legs, his clothes the slightest bit baggy, but his muscular frame filled them out more than she had anticipated. "I am Prince Laxus of the kingdom of Magnolia." _Prince?_ Lucy had no idea that her beast was actually a prince. It was quite embarrassing when she realized, and she dropped into a curtsy.

"I-I am Lucy Heartfilia of the town of Magnolia." her head bowed to him.

"Lucy… you don't have to bow to me." Laxus gave her another wide grin. It was almost wolfish in a way.

"S-sorry." she was sheepish, and her eyes nervously traced the ground in front of his bare feet. It was so shocking, to see her beast with his strong jaw and pink skin. Her solace was in his blue eyes. Their perusal of each other was interrupted by a shaking of the castle surrounding them as the snow disappeared and it began to look brand new. Their hands were clutched together as Lucy was led inside by Laxus.

"We should go check on everyone." Laxus pulled her down the stairs as the shaking stopped. Lucy gaped at the beautiful castle, looking almost the same but with a new grandeur. When they descended into the front entryway, Lucy was shocked to see that all of the furniture had changed into people. She recognized no one, but a man with a wide smile and pink hair bounded up to her immediately, a woman with white hair close behind. They held hands and looked immensely happy.

"Luce! Thank you so much! You're the greatest!" he pulled her into a hug, and the white haired woman beamed as well.

"Uh, you're welcome…?" she laughed softly, placing her arms around the man.

"It's Natsu! And Lisanna! Here, I'll introduce you to everyone." Natsu pulled her from Laxus, bringing her towards a man with jet black hair and eyes. They left Lisanna, the woman with white hair, with the master.

"Oh, Lucy! Hey!" the man with black hair grinned at her.

"This annoying dude is Gray! And the girl with long white hair is Mirajane, and the large guy next to her his Elfman."

"Saving us was manly!" Elfman chortled.

"I'm so glad you and Laxus realized your feelings for one another!" Mirajane squealed, pulling Lucy into a hug. Mirajane was very beautiful, as was Lisanna. Elfman was handsome in his own way as well, all three of them having the same shockingly white hair and bright eyes. Natsu brought Lucy to a beautiful redhead next.

"Lucy this is Erza." Erza and Lucy embraced before Natsu pulled her along again. The next introduction was to a blue cat, which was the footstool Happy. She was introduced to so many new faces for the names she already knew, it was slightly dizzying. But Lucy was so happy that she decided to come back and save them. These were her friends, and she could not wait to get to know them and make new memories and have new adventures with them. They were like her family.

"Lucy!" the blonde turned to see her friend Levy racing down the steps, Gajeel in a daze behind her. Everyone in the room tensed.

"Levy, what are you..?" Lucy was still wary of Gajeel, even though she knew he was cursed.

"I found a way to reverse it! He's back to normal now!" Lucy's bookkeeping friend beamed with accomplishment. The man in question looked confused by the whole ordeal. "Gajeel wants to apologize."

"Sorry about all this… I don't know how to make it up to you." Gajeel grunted out, his personality less self driven and more… moody.

"Um… don't worry about it, I guess. Just, I'm happy that you're better now." Lucy gave a hesitant smile before Levy grabbed the much larger man's hand.

"Before the whole 'curse' thing, Gajeel and I were, well… betrothed." Levy explained. Lucy gasped at this.

"Wait what?! Levy, why didn't you tell me?!" Lucy was shocked.

"Because it got broken off when he was cursed. I didn't know why he had done it at the time, but Gajeel and I were just talking, and, well…"

"The shrimp and I are gonna get married again." Gajeel grinned, referencing the much shorter girl next to him. She pouted for a bit at the nickname, but it didn't seem that it put her spirits down too much.

"Wow, congratulations!" Lucy was genuinely happy for her friend. She was glad that the two could move on from this the way that she hoped to.

"See, flame brain? I told you Lucy would be the one to break the curse." Gray butted into the conversation, gripping Natsu's shoulder.

"Eh? No way, I was the one who told _you_ that she'd break the curse.

"You must have brain damage, because I definitely told you." the two had begun to face off, fists clenching.

"You definitely did _not_ , you overgrown popsicle!" their foreheads slammed together as their eyes showed pure malice for the other.

"Why you - paraffin face!" Gray shouted at him.

"What does that mean?!" Natsu took it as an insult even though he didn't understand it, swinging wildly. Gray had somehow lost his shirt. "You stupid stripping pervert!" Lucy sighed at their antics before turning to find her love again. He was speaking with as many people as possible, thanking them and embracing them for staying with him for so long. She smiled at the sight of all the people who never gave up on him. Lucy looked to the door as it swung open, revealing her father.

"Papa!" she shouted gleefully, sprinting across the ballroom to hug him.

"Lucy, all of these people…" he glanced around in amazement.

"They are free from the curse now. Papa, I'd like you to meet Laxus." Lucy pulled her father by his arm over to the tall blonde man. Laxus turned to them, looking quite nervous under the scrutiny of her father.

"I'd like to apologize, sir… I acted rashly and I feel terrible about it." Laxus held his eyes to Jude's, his voice unwavering.

"I suppose I can't be upset about this whole ordeal… I mean, my daughter is happy because of you." Jude smiled kindly at the man, and relief showed in Laxus' body.

"I'd like to ask for your daughter's hand in marriage." Lucy gasped at Laxus' words. She nodded to her father quickly, and he chuckled before removing Lucy's hand from his arm. He placed her small hand into Laxus' larger one and then patted his shoulder.

"My son, even if I said no there would be no way to keep my stubborn daughter from your side." Lucy laughed aloud at this, knowing it were true. Lucy never wanted to leave her beast's side again.

In a few months they were married, with everyone present at the wedding. The small town she had called home thrived with new business and people from the kingdom, and soon after that Laxus' grandfather reappeared. He was put under a curse, like his grandson, but his was to disappear until his heir took a wife. The caster believed Laxus would not be married because of the curse that was planned to be put on him, so it came as a shock to the witch, who was hunted down by Makarov after his return. He helped his grandson rule, and helped Lucy learn to run a kingdom as well. Jude ended up moving into the castle with his daughter, and within a few years the royal family was looking to conceive a child. Juvia fell madly in love with Gray after he defeated her in a horse race, since she was known as the best rider in Magnolia, and Lisanna and Natsu were married shortly after Laxus and Lucy. Many curses were found and broken around their area.

And the rulers of the Kingdom of Magnolia lived happily ever after.


	4. Chapter 4

**Announcement: I've got a new Fairy Tail Fairy Tale up on my page.**

 **Princess and the Pauper themed.**

 **Nalu. Gruvia. Be there or be square.**

 **Check it out if you liked my Beauty and the Beast retell!**


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